Treatment of endometriosis

  The treatment method should be determined by a comprehensive analysis based on the patient’s age, fertility requirements, symptoms, lesion location and scope, and the presence of comorbidities. For young women with fertility requirements, medication or conservative surgery should be used as much as possible; for older women without fertility requirements, total hysterectomy and double adnexal resection is feasible.  Drug therapy: Sex hormone therapy mainly inhibits ovulation or causes amenorrhea, causing degenerative changes in ectopic endometrium, followed by necrosis and absorption. After sex hormone treatment about 85% of patients can have their symptoms relieved, and some of them have pregnancy after treatment. However, there are different degrees of side effects, such as loss of appetite, nausea and abnormal liver function, which can disappear after stopping the drug. Commonly used sex hormones include androgens, progestins, estrogens, danazol, etc.  Surgery: Surgery should be considered if medication is ineffective, if the ovaries form large cysts (endometriosis), if the pelvic lesions are severe or if the symptoms are serious. Surgery can be divided into 3 types: conservative, radical and semi-conservative: (1) Conservative surgery: mainly involves removal of the affected ovary or stripping the ovarian endometriosis cyst, separation of pelvic adhesions, removal of pelvic lesions and preservation of fertility. This type of surgery is mostly used in young patients and those who want to have children.  (2) Radical surgery: including total uterus, bilateral adnexa and pelvic lesions removal. It is mainly used in older patients with near menopause after semi-conservative surgery; that is, removal of the uterus or uterine lesions, removal of pelvic lesions, and preservation of one or both ovaries. Because conservative or semi-conservative surgery preserves the ovaries, the lesion may recur or even require reoperation. These patients are usually treated with sex hormones for a period of time after conservative surgery.